


Cute? What You Talking About Mate?

by maougha



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Age Swap, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-10-13
Packaged: 2017-12-16 05:46:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maougha/pseuds/maougha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Age Swap- In which a teenage Easter Bunny, who's only real hobbies include painting and pranking. Has to deal with old enemies, convince his friends that he's not a kid anymore, and deal with the crazy new Guardian. A old winter spirit who he may or may not fancy. </p>
<p>What's the youngest Guardian of Childhood to do when the world around him is going crazy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Let's see you little ankle bitters find 'em this time!" Aster, the one and only Easter bunny cackled as he lowered a bright blue egg onto a house's eve. This year he had decided that his goodies needed to be higher up, really, higher up. In trees, on top of houses, he had even stored a few eggs on statues - like the one in the center of the town called Burgress. 

"Aster, I thought the whole point of the extra eggs and chocolates, which I am against, were to help bolster belief in Easter and you." Tooth fluttered up to where he was currently perched, hanging upside-down from a tree branch, which stretched out over the house where he had chosen to leave his last batch of goodies. She hefted a small bag. The one she had been using to carry candy while helping Aster prepare for the big egg hunt. It looked suspiciously full to Aster. 

"I'm just having a little fun Tooth," Aster grinned swinging up on the branch. Using the momentum he propelled himself forward landing lightly on the roof. "Not like I hid them well. I mean bright yellows and pinks in the trees and bright blues and reds on windowsills. Besides you're the one that hasn't been doing anything."

Tooth looked surprised then a little embarrassed when he pointed to the full bag in her hands. Her complexion hid it well, but Aster thinks she's blushing a little, he can tell after all, she is his annoying big sister in every way but blood, and species. It is his job and best weapon against her to know these things. 

"Well you see I tried! But they're sugary candies and there's so much of them. Oh Aster think of the children's teeth?" Tooth waves a little franticly and Aster wondered if she hadn't snuck a few chocolates herself. But no this is normal neurotic Tooth at her best. If she felt strongly about it, like how she felt about teeth, then she could get really worked up about it. 

Aster wondered if he dared try to summon a tunnel to the warren up through a house? True he'd never done it before. But there last year during the battle with Pitch he had been able to pull off a variation of North's chimney trick. Maybe if he tried that? Quickly though, he had to do something before she started in on him about sugar free candies and how if he would just endorse them. 

"If sugar free candies came with the Easter Bunny's stamp of approval, kids all over the world would give them a try and find that they liked them!"

Oh, he must have spaced out; Tooth was already halfway through her very 'unpredictable' speech about sugar free candies. Where was a good distraction when you needed one? They were in Burgess now having saved it for last just for the chance of checking up on Jamie and Sophie, without the kids knowing. Visits to the Bennett's home always ended up lasting longer then intended. Tooth had suggested dropping by Jack's lake when they were done. And although he didn't much look forward to that, right now even a visit from Old Man Winter wouldn't be looked down upon by Aster. Anything to distract Tooth.

As if summoned by Bunny's very thought. A cold wind picked up rather suddenly, it made both Guardians shiver, and it quieted Tooth down. Too bad the silence wouldn't last if the newest Guardian was really about to make an appearance. Aster sighed; it wasn't enough that Tooth was giving him trouble for trying to have a little fun. No, now he had to deal with Jack Frost too. 

Not that the old spirit of winter was a bad guy. Aster would grudgingly admit that he'd really come through for the other Guardians there last year. Had Jack not gotten involved in the fight with Pitch Black? It was very likely that Aster wouldn't have seen another Easter. No, it wasn't that Jack Frost was a bad guy per say. But like most older spirits Jack was a little standoffish. A loaner through and through, though he'd warmed up to everyone pretty quickly. North most of all, which didn't surprise Aster all that much, they both shared a season after all. 

Oh, he was doing it again, zoning out when he should really be paying attention. Aster blinked, only now noticing that Tooth wasn't hovering in front of him anymore. Now she was hovering in front of the tree that he had just vacated. And standing on one of the thicker branches was one winter spirit. 

"Toothiana of course it's ok to hand out a few candies. Just don't give each child more than two or three and they'll be fine." Aster could easily make out what his friend and Jack Frost were saying. His big ears were not just for decoration. "Hey cottontail mind if I help with the Easter festivities?" 

"To late Jack we're finished." He said.

"But you still have a bag of candy left." Aster glared at Tooth again. "Unless you were saving them for yourselves, in which case I call dibs on the mint chocolates!"

Tooth look scandalized clutching the bag a little tighter. Aster snickered and just because his need to annoy Tooth outweighed his dislike for the newest Guardian. "Sure thing Jack, Tooth give her here will you?"

The winter spirit looked surprised at Aster's goodwill. Ha! Like Aster always said, 'smile and keep 'em guessing.' Jack hopped down from his branch and using his Shepherd's Crook stole the bag of candies right out of Tooth's hands. Looking entirely too pleased with himself he sauntered over to Aster holding out the bag of candies. 

Aster accepted them and while Tooth gave them disapproving glares, which he ignored, he opened the bag digging through it for all the mint chocolates he had thought to bring. This was not a whole lot considering mint chocolate had become more of a Christmas thing then Easter. Still when he held out the meager few candies and gruffly said that was all he had brought. Jack had looked so ridiculously happy that Aster wished he had thought to bring more.

"You know we didn't have Easter back when I first started out." Jack spoke up after munching on his first candy. "Didn't have Christmas either, will the Christmas like it is now anyway."

Aster frowned; it was always disconcerting to realize that Jack was far older than the other Guardians. Will not Sandy because Sandy was as old as dirt, maybe just a little younger than Tooth seeing as she had lived a long life before officially becoming the Tooth Fairy. But Jack had been alive back when the Norse Vikings had first set sail from their shores. When Odin and his pantheon still held sway and belief, and not just because of their appearance in comic books either. 

"So are we all still meeting at the North Pole Thursday night?" 

Aster's nose twitched, he waited for a moment but when Tooth didn't answer. He glanced at the winter spirit who was looking at him expectantly. Oh, he had thought Jack had been talking to Tooth then. 

"Sorry," Aster mumbled before taking another bite of his own candy. He chewed slowly making a big show of trying to remember if North's open invitation to everyone was still on the table. In the past year the Guardians had seen more of each other than they had since they had begun operating together as a group. Once a week during the months that Aster and North could take down time on. While the months closer to Easter and Christmas would see the Guardians meeting at least once or twice, mostly to help with preparations for whichever holiday was coming up. That was something they never use to do and Aster had to admit, though he loath to do so, it was kind of fun having Tooth, Sandy, and North helping to paint the eggs and get the candy ready. He'd even go so far as to say Jack's company had been enjoyable even if the old spirit had accidentally frozen the lake of colors while trying to bathe a few of the eggs. 

"Haven't heard anything about the evening being canceled mate," Bunny finally said. When Jack favored him with another little happy smile, Aster was struck with an idea, silly as it was. "You want I should drop by for ya mate? Traveling through the tunnels and Warren is faster than flying."

Aster held back a snicker. If Jack had looked surprised before at Aster's goodwill, he was absolutely gobsmacked now. Really, Aster wondered if he should take insult to the fact that Jack was so surprised at his kindness. But then again he hadn't hid his displeasure at Jack's joining the Guardians all that much. Plus if Tooth was to be believed Jack Frost had been a bit of a trickster back in the day and hadn't really endeared himself to most of the older spirits and legends of his time. Aster knew all too well how that felt. He himself had been a bit of a hard case before North had sat him straight. Or tired to, depending on who you asked Aster was an upstanding legend and guardian, others had less kind things to say about him though.

Truth be told, Aster would not have seen Jack in this new light, had it not been for Tooth telling him off after their last get together. Aster didn't really want to rehash that experience. Tooth was awesome and the best big sister a guy could ask for. But when she was good and angry, then she wasn't just Tooth his big sister, which was bad enough. No then she was Toothiana queen of the fairies and not someone to be trifled with. 

Whatever he had said or done, it had really set Tooth off that night. She had taken him aside, sending away the elves and yetis that had been doing early preparations for next year's Christmas. Aster had been ready to plead his case but one look from the woman had him quieted and cowed. She hadn't beaten around the bush about it either. She out right told Aster that he was being stupid and rude and that if he didn't stop she would go to North about it. Their unofficial leader, jolly as he was, could be ten times scarier then Tooth - when he was angry. 

"Just think about it Aster," Tooth had said after his talking to. Much calmer, if not, a little sadder she went on. "Jack is a lot like us, you know, we've all lost family. But in Jack's case there wasn't anybody else there for a long time. At least I've got you and you have me and we have North and Sandy. But Jack's never had that and he doesn't have his memories of his life before because no one was around to collect teeth back then." 

Looking at it that way, Jack's actions took on a completely new meaning to Aster. Little tricks and teasing and outright fighting were all things that he had tried to get attention. Before he was the Easter Bunny he was just plain Aster, a lost and lonely kid who was the last of his kind lost in a world that wasn't really his own. Which in a lot of ways was very similar to Jack's story or what he had heard of it. Loss of memories making the world he found himself in alien to him. His rebirth as a spirit at the hand of Manny making him a kid again in spirit, not physically though. Oh no Jack Frost was every bit a man that was for sure. 

And no, no, Aster that way lies madness, the young guardian thought rolling his eyes. Not at Jack who was still giving him a funny look, but the winter spirit didn't need to know that. 

"Well? You know mate it's kind of rude to not answer at all." Aster may have decided to sort of give the Guardian of Fun a small, small chance at Tooth's be hence. But that didn't mean he was going to be overly nice to the guy. It was a two way street after all, or something like that, he couldn't remember North's little speech when he had first become a guardian. But it had been something like that.

"Ye- uh yeah!" Jack finally found his voice and was grinning again now. "Thanks Aster, appreciate it."

"Great," Aster said taking a few steps towards the edge of the roof. He glanced back at Tooth and Jack, smiled and waved. Huh, being friendly wasn't so bad, and Tooth was right there watching and seeing him make an effort. Yay brownie points! "See you guys later then. I'm going to do a last minute sweep of North America before calling it a night."

"Night Aster!" Tooth called out and it may have just been his imagination. But she sounded just the littlest bit pleased. Score. 

He leapt from the roof, putting a little extra magic into the jump, somersaulting midair so that he could look back at his friend. Waving mid jump he was a little surprised when Jack waved back rather exuberantly. 

"Nice moves cottontail!" 

"I know!" He shouted back on his decent, he'd already dropped a tunnel egg, so there was no landing, he just dropped into the tunnel sliding down a shoot back to his warren. He'd get to his last minute check on his goodies in just a minute. But first Aster felt the need to make a few extra mint chocolates for Thursday night.


	2. Chapter 2

Most Easter Eves saw Aster making quick trips from one continent to the next. Easter Eve melting into Easter morning at some point without him noticing. This year was no different really. After setting to work on those extra mint chocolates, because surprised Jack was just too funny looking to pass up, Aster had opened a tunnel to Europe and started there.

 

His trips were quick seeing as he made double checks of his hiding places in each town, city and, village he visited. He also usually did quick checks of the regions he had previously visited when he was finished there. Really, these last minute treks across the globe were not necessary.  Nevertheless, they gave Aster something to do and after putting so much work into the blasted holiday, he needed to make sure that it went off with as little trouble as possible. It was something of a matter of pride for the Pooka. If North could handle Christmas in one night as he was always saying, though Aster was quick to point out the whole twelve days thing, then he could handle Easter in one also.

 

 The sun was still low, just peaking over the mountains when he left the surface, making his way back to the Warren. Aster fully intended to finish the goodies he promised Phil, the rest of the yetis and, now Jack. However, it had been a long night with an even longer build up to said night.  So after packing away the few chocolates he had made before going out on his final Easter egg sweep. Aster settled down for a well-deserved nap.

 

_Dawn is coming._

Aster started awake, heart racing, a buzzing sound in his ears. The young guardian lay there for a moment, not gasping, but not really breathing easy either. If he had to define it, which he wouldn't because he was so not mentioning a silly nightmare to anyone, he'd say it was like breathing heavily while you ran.  Not that he was out of shape or knew what it was like to be winded.

 

"Must be will into Easter Sunday," Aster spoke to one of the little eggs that had stuck with him during his nap. The pink little thing bounced with excitement and Aster chuckled. His little goodies were quite adorable when they wanted to be. Most of the time, they were a pain though. "Run along now, Ol' Aster has work to do."

 

Usually Aster took some down time after Easter. For the rest of April and the first part of May, the Easter Bunny would not paint a single egg, bake a single cookie, or make a single chocolate. It was only fair considering he had just worked his fluffy little tail off.

 

He would have complained more about the unfairness of having to make yet more chocolates. But the sound of quick wing beats broke him out of his revere.

 

"Tooth?" Aster scrambled to his hind paws. He'd given Tooth a key to the Warren within days of figuring out how to actually make them. That had been at least three hundred years ago and Tooth had never once used the key to enter the Warren without calling ahead first.

 

"Aster, are you ok?" It was Tooth, flanked by a small army of her mini fairies. Each one looked just as worried as their mistress did and Tooth looked pretty darn worried herself. Not a feather was out of place and she looked every bit the regal queen that she was. But after hundreds of years of camaraderie between them he could tell. Really, it was hard for any of the Guardians to hide what they were feeling from each other, bloody well made poker night right difficult.

 

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" He shrank back when three or four fairies made a break from the group. They practically dive-bombed him and while he usually didn't mind the special attention they gave him. It was rather flattering that the little gals who were usually all about teeth would go star eyed over his fur. Tooth's little ones could be very frightening in their single mindedness.

 

"No bouts of dizziness or sudden weakness? Did you let a child catch a glimpse of you Aster? Think, this is very important, did anybody see you Saturday night or maybe Sunday morning?"

 

"Sure they did, I always let one or two of the ankle bitters catch a peek." Aster grinned, "It's fun to bait the kiddies a little and you know to perpetuate the myth just a little. Bigfoot does it all the time!"

 

Tooth seemed to sag in midair; from relief, although Aster didn't have the slightest clue as to what she was relieved about. One of the big rules that governed the magical world was that mortals were not supposed to see them, the Guardians, or any magical creature really. They were myths for a reason after all and a very good reason at that. The Guardians had fought the hardest for that rule and when it was put in place; it had been the Guardians who enforced it. 

 

Why Tooth seemed so happy that Aster was a great big hypocrite was a mystery.

 

"Aster, do you know what day it is?"

 

"Easter Sunday, Tooth, are you sure you are ok?"

 

Tooth fluttered to the ground and in a few quick strides, she was in front of him. Before Aster could even blink, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.

 

She was shaking a little, but it was actually the little dainty sob/laugh that was Aster's undoing. Wrapping his arms around her, carful of her wings, Aster hugged back. It's was not that he was 'macho' he collected and arranged flowers for fun darn it. But, it was just hard to do stuff like this. He spent so much time and energy trying to convince Tooth and North that he was emotionally mature enough to live on his own - as well as mature enough in every other way, that he didn't often. Well act like a little kid with the hugging, even though he liked hugs, he liked them a lot.

 

"Tooth, love, you're going to have to start at the beginning here because ol' Aster is lost."

 

"It's April 25th Aster, not Easter Sunday," Her grip had loosened on him enough that he could pull back and look at her face. "I didn't think anything of it, you do tend to keep to yourself after Easter, but when you didn't show up Thursday and when Jack got there and said you hadn't shown up at the lake."

 

"The warning bells finally went off?" Aster asked, still confused and a little touched. Considering not even five years ago, no one would have noticed his missing in action status unless it was actually during the Easter holidays. Not even Tooth, who he made a point of visiting in her grand palace at least once a month since they had become guardians, would have noticed him missing so soon.

  
"Aster, did something happen?" She had let go of him. But was still hovering closer than usual. "Or did you just lose track of time, maybe forgot about meeting us?"

"No, Tooth I didn't."

 

"Did you maybe, and Aster I promise I won't get angry if you tell the truth. But did you do this to play a prank on Jack?"

 

Aster shook his head, no. The thought had crossed his mind; he would be lying if he told Tooth that he hadn't considered just going to North's on Thursday while conveniently forgetting to drop by a certain winter spirit's lake. However, he had made a promise to both Jack and Tooth. So, no, he hadn't been playing a prank.

 

"O.K," Tooth nodded, pulling out one of North's snow globes from somewhere and tossing it over her shoulder. She must have commanded it to open a portal to North's workshop on her way to the Warren, because a portal formed without her having to say so. "Let's just go see everyone else now then. We can work on this together."

 

"I'm sure I can handle-" Aster started.

 

"We work on this together. If there is one thing that we should take from our last fight with Pitch, it's that we are stronger together. That we have to learn to work together again."

 

"Yeah," Aster nodded as he trudged towards his second least favorite way of travel.

 

It was North's 'special brand' of magic, infused in the snow globes and the portals they created, that made traveling by the blasted bobbles bearable. Not that Aster would ever admit it to North. But the feel of the old man's magic surrounding him did have a calming effect. To him travel through the portals felt a lot like getting swept up into one of North's big bear hugs. Only there was also the horrifying feeling of freefalling mixed in with the hug.

 

There was no 'hug' this time.

 

Someone was yelling. He could not make out what they were yelling and as the scream went on, he started to think they weren't actually saying anything at all. It was just an expression of pain, which varied in pitch and volume.

 

"Aster!"

 

He'd have to ask after whoever was in so much pain, later though. For some reason the world was going gray around the edges.

 

"Come on cottontail, I got you."

 

The world went blissfully quiet and dark. 


	3. Chapter 3

The first thought that came to Aster's mind, while consciousness slowly began to take hold again, went something along the lines of, why did the Warren smell like liquorice? That was a candy that he neither liked nor specialized in and not just because humans associated it with Christmas. Focusing instead on making his chocolates, eggs and, those cookies he had grown to like so much. He let the mortals make and buy their own.

"Durbah wahla durtal bardla burd."

Aster racked his brain for a translation, before cracking one eye open to look up at the speaker. It was Phil; the Yeti that pretty much ran North's operation and from time to time acted as the Guardian's personal baby-sitter.

The head Yeti looked worried, lent over Aster with a wet facecloth in one hand, what looked like a bag of smelling salts in the other.

"I'm awake, Phil," He mumbled pushing himself up, though it took more effort than he would like to admit, into a setting position. "What happened?"

"North's portal did a real number on us." Across the room sat Tooth in a bed just like his. Five or six fairies attended her at a time. Some flew in to replace some that flew off. She smiled at him and though it looked a little strained, he felt better all the same for it.

"Tooth," Aster asked. "Are you ok? What?"

"Calm down Aster, I know about as much as you do right now. Phil was just going to go get North for me when it looked like you were waking up, and he had to fuss over you."

"Thanks mate." Aster's voice was low and rough. He liked it compared to his normal higher pitched voice that had a tendency to crack at the most embarrassing of times. Being locked in the perpetual stages of teenagedome was not as awesome as one would think. He wondered if he practiced at it, would he be able to keep this lower gravelly voice.

Phil grumbled his reply, in the surprisingly easy to understand Yetish language, before handing over the face cloth and lumbering out of the room. He said that he would be back soon with North and that if Aster or Tooth needed anything, just to yell.

Okay, he may have been paraphrasing a little. However, three or four words in Yetish seemed to make up whole paragraphs in English. You had to pick out the key information or you would get lost in details and particulars. He'd tried to read a book written in Yetish once. Still had it somewhere in the Warren with the bookmark placed on the second page. Moreover, a bottle of painkillers right beside it if he ever decided to attempt and read another page or more. 

"Aster," Tooth was waving off the little fairies that chirped at her to stay put. She stood on shaky legs before walking over to set on the edge of his bed. It was the most telling sign of how much whatever it was that had happened had affected her. That Tooth would walk instead of glide across a room. That she would look anything but graceful as she moved. If Aster hadn't clued into something being wrong beforehand. Then he most certainly had now.

Leaning forward, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close in a quick hug, before letting go and leaning back into the fluffy pillows behind him. Staying upright right now seemed like such a chore. "Tooth I remember someone screaming. Was that you?"

"No," Tooth's cool hand ran over his cheek and through the fur on his head. Over and over she groomed him as best a non-Pooka could. "That was you. Whatever it was that got us through the portal hit you harder than it did me. I wasn't knocked out, just weakened. Sandy was able to help me while North closed the portal."

"I think I can remember that. Someone helped me too right?" Aster chuckled; of course, someone had helped him. It wasn't like he could have made it to the medical wing of North's grand workshop on his own, not in the state he was in now anyway. Phil must have gotten him there when he had first passed out.

"Jack got to you before I could. Not that I was in any shape to help you," Tooth laughed. One of her fairies zipped forward to whisper something in her ear, distracting her just long enough for Aster to ponder that one. 

Frost had helped him. That was a surprise considering Aster had only tried being friendly to the older spirit for all of a day now, and he had kind of failed at that too according to Tooth. Maybe he owed the older guardian a bit of an apology. Nah, he'd just do what Tooth had asked him to and be a little nicer to the guy. No need to get all-weird or anything about it.

He would have asked what else had happened had North not chosen that moment to barrel into the room. It had surprised Aster to find out it was the Abominable Snow men of the north who were the quiet ones. Light on their toes, they were downright ninja like when compared to their boss the Santa Clause. For someone that snuck in and out of people's homes without ever being caught. North was a very boisterous person.

"Aster! It is good to see you awake my friend. We were all very worried."

"Sorry about that mate." Aster said.

"No need to be sorry, what we are dealing with is no fault of yours."

Tooth perked up. "Sounds like you have an idea of what's going on North."

"Indeed I do Tooth." North sobered rather quickly at that. It almost gave Aster emotional whiplash.

Their leader just wasn't meant to look so serious. Aster knew North's story of course, all the Guardians did. However, Aster had not met the man until well after his many years of training under the old wizard named Ombric. The Nicholas St. North he had come to know all those years ago had known the love of a family, had known a purpose so true and right that King of Thieves and murder were just not words that Aster could associate with his friend. 

Yet as the big man stood there gazing down at him. Aster could see behind those eyes that shun with wonder. There was something dark and calculating lurking there beneath the surface. 

"Bunny, what is matter! You look like I crack all your eggs and fry them up in a tasty omelet." The look was gone, replaced with concern and kindness, something Aster was more use to seeing from the man.

"I told you to stop calling me that." The protest it was half hearted at best. He'd given up long ago ever actually believing that North would heed his requests. He would always be that little bunny that Katherine had adopted once upon a time. No amount of arguing or childish tantrums would change that.

A large hand rested on his shoulder. Solid and strong, kind and wise, Aster associated these words with his oldest and dearest friend. He burnt with shame when North caught his eyes again. Not for the first time, he was thankful for the full body fur coat that hid his blushing face. "Nothing, North, it was nothing."

"Bunny," The smile North graced him with was small and a little sad. "I am sorry my little friend, I let myself get carried away. I forget how young you are sometimes."

"What are you going on about old man? Sometimes I swear you're senile." Aster growled, though the effect may have been lost with the way he clung to Tooth and leaned into North's hand at the same time.

Family, it did strange things to you.

"Guys, let's not start right now." Tooth said. "Now North, what has you all worked up?"

"Maybe now is not best time for this?" North gave Aster's shoulder another tight squeeze before he pulled back. "Maybe I'll just let Sandy and Jack come in now for visit. Sandy's been worried about you two, and Jack's been freezing things and generally annoying the Yetis."

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Tooth looked like she couldn't decide between seeking answers, or providing comfort to her friends. Aster didn't see any problem though. "Go get them mate and then tell us what's what. They are going to find out too right. Let's get it all out in the open now."

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the door to the room burst inward and one sandman and one winter spirit were deposit onto the floor. A Yeti, again Phil, stood above them sporting a disapproving look. At least the two had the good graces to look embarrassed. Jack hastily scrabbled to his feet and offered Sandy a hand up. The two in unison shot Phil twin innocent looks before scrambling over to Aster's bed. 

Sandy, cuddler by trade, dove between him and Tooth. She laughed welcoming the little dreamer while Aster moved back a little. He loved the tiny man, really, but sand and fur just didn't mix well. 

"Will since we are all here," North said.

"You're going to finally tell me what's up?" Jack asked.

Jack was close enough that Aster could cuff him up the side of the head, which he did and smiled while doing it. North ignored Jack's outraged outburst as he pulled something from behind his back.

It was a book, old and worn, its pages dog-eared, its cover stained long ago by some forgotten liquid, most likely eggnog; it was a familiar book, which the Guardians treated quite reverently. Aster and Tooth on many occasions had liberated that very book from North's study. Bringing it back to Tooth's palace, to read and reread old adventures, and to try to gleam an embarrassing story or two of North's younger years from them.

The magical tomb did not have a problem with divulging silly stories about the young man who would one day become Santa Clause. That was probably because its authoress had specifically told it not to listen to North when he told the book to be silent about such things. Katherine, or Mother Goose as the children had dubbed her once upon a time, had created this special book to record the tails of her friends. Each chapter was a short story that reflected key moments in each of the Guardian's lives. 

Aster sat up a little straighter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tooth do the same. It wasn't unusual for them to find the answers to a problem in one of North's books. The North Pole's library was more extensive than Alexander the Greats ever was. North had even confided in him once that part of that lost collection was even housed in the lower levels of his workshop. No, it wasn't strange for them to turn to one of North's many tombs to shed light on whatever dilemma was at hand. 

However, this book didn't contain anything that they didn't already know. For North to bring it out, Aster growled. "It's not Pitch again is it?"

North shook his head, "No, it is an enemy from the past I believe, but not Pitch Black."

"Then who North?" Tooth asked, her voice carrying a slight note of impatience.

North didn't answer right away. He flipped through the pages of the book looking for something, but the growing look of frustration on his face was clue enough that he was having trouble finding it. Aster made a mental note to get the man bookmarks for next Christmas. 

When he found what he was looking for, North held it up for them all to see.

"I don't know about anyone else," Jack said. "But that clears everything up for me."

The sarcasm was duly noted. Had Aster not been intimately involved with the story that North had shown them? He was sure that he would be just as confused as Jack probably was right now. As it was though, the image of dancing men and women, who were circling around a small group of still characters, made perfect sense to him.

"You can't be serious mate," Aster said. "You can't seriously think that they have anything to do with this. There's no way, there is just no way."

"We thought the same thing about Pitch," Tooth said, gently resting a hand over his paw. She gave it a squeeze. "What makes you think it's them tough, North? You must have some proof or something to go off of."

"It is more a feeling; Bunny is afflicted during the period that he is most powerful? When spring is in full swing and there is new hope everywhere? And then there is something strong enough to attack the magic of Christmas?" North sounded downright scandalized when he said that last part. Any other time Aster would have laughed and have something to say to that. 

"Makes as much sense as anything else," Tooth said. Sighing she gestured to one of her fairies. "Fly back to the palace and put everyone on high alert sweetie."

The little fairy chirped and saluted before zooming off. Tooth watched after her and Aster knew it just killed her that she could not go with the little fairy. North must have noticed it too.

"Tooth, I am wanting to do something, anything right now." He said, closing the book and handing it off to Phil, North turned to grin at them. "Setting around is not my style. Are you up for ride in sleigh? We can drop by Tooth Palace too."

Aster blinked, missing Tooth getting up and making her way over to North's side. The woman was fast when she wanted to be. Aster had almost forgotten that. It had been forever since he had seen her demonstrate her great speed. 

"We won't be long, just a quick trip to the Tooth Palace, to make sure everything is in order." North had wrapped an arm around Tooth's shoulder. It just seemed wrong to see her walking around like the rest of them. At least under North's care she wasn't so wobbly. "Although without snow globe, maybe trip will be a little longer. Sandy! You watch Aster and Jack."

Aster would have objected to needing a babysitter. However, the jaw-cracking yawn that escaped when he went to tell North just that, didn't go far in convincing the jolly old man otherwise. Jack's grumblings landed on deaf ears also. It did not matter that he was older than most of the other guardians. Not Sandy of course, but even Father Time was not as old as the Guardian of dreams was. The simple fact was, as far as North was concerned, this was Guardian business and as such, Jack was in just as much danger as them. More so considering he didn't know what they were possibly up against. 

Aster would have to fix that little oversight. It would give him something to do while confined to bed. There was no way he would be able to sneak out while Tooth and North were gone. Even if he had thought that bribing the yetis to silence was a possible option. North would know. It was part of his magic after all. Knowing if you'd been bad or good and all that. 

Seemed Jack was thinking along the same lines as him. Gesturing for Phil to pass over the book, the winter spirit flipped through the pages, becoming more annoyed with each turn of the page. "What gives?" He asked holding up the book to display empty pages.

Sandy smiled, floating over to take the book from Jack. Little pictures formed above his head. A little girl with her nose buried in a book. An older man standing behind her, holding out a quill that she took and began to write with, words appeared over their heads and faded away just as quickly. 

Taking pity on the befuddled looking winter spirit, Aster spoke up. "What Sandy is trying to say, is this is a magical book. Written with the strongest magic there is, belief. It's a record of our lives, our histories, not just anyone can read it you know."

The flicker of hurt was gone in an instant. Replaced with a devious look, but Aster had seen it, and even when Jack casually mentioned how the book would come in handy for pranking them. Aster didn't buy it. 

"I'll show you the trick to making the writing appear. Don't worry if you don't get it the first time mate. It's tricky for a reason. Look you just have to open it with your hands placed here and here." Aster demonstrated, opening the book to what seemed a random page before handing it over to Jack.

The winter spirit took the offered book and began to read the writing out loud. "And the moon light shun down bright enough to blind all in attendance. Manny was choosing a new Guardian." Jack glanced up and Aster smiled, motioning for him to continue. "Manny was choosing a new guardian to help face the latest threat that Pitch Black and his Nightmares presented. Jack Frost's image hung above the moon stone, smirking and winking down at them." He looked up again. "Aster?"

"I told you Frost Bite, this is our history right here. It doesn't just begin when we became guardians either; there are stories in here about our time before we answered our callings." Aster reached out and turned the pages back a few. "There's an interesting story about a young rogue who tried kidnapped a princess. Only to have her beat him with a frying pot. You should read it some time, it's mine and Tooth's favorite."

"But you said it was a book about the Guardians." 

Aster sighed; it was a little heartbreaking how surprised Jack was about this. Maybe if Tooth had not forcibly brought his attention to how he'd been mistreating the spirit. He wouldn't have caught it. But he had seen the hurt and surprise there when he'd mentioned the nature of the Guardian's magical book. Now he had two choices before him. Ignore what he knew in favor of keeping things nice and simple, or, on the other hand, extending a genuine olive branch of friendship. Not just because Tooth had told him too either. 

"Yes you drongo, I did." Aster frowned at the older spirit before reaching out and bopping him on the head. "What, you thought we were just putting up with you because of your winning personality? Sorry Jackie but like it or not, you are a Guardian now, and stuck with us."

The little smile that played across Jack's face had Aster answering with a bright grin of his own. When the older spirit wasn't making mischief or partaking in his brand of fun. He wasn't all that bad. Maybe, just maybe becoming friends with the newest Guardian wouldn't be so hard, or awful, after all. 

Aster guessed that he would just have to wait and see. Really, he should take one problem at a time and if what North believed was true. They already had something big on their plate to deal with. 

"So you were going to explain what you were talking about?" Jack asked flipping through the pages on his own now. Stopping here or there, to read a sentence or two, before moving on to a different page until finally finding what he had been looking for. The winter spirit held up the picture of the dancing people once more. 

Setting up a little straighter, Aster began to recount the tale as only one who had lived it could. His version wasn't exactly like the one written down in the Guardian's history book. Katherine was the one with the flair for storytelling. Able to put a creative spin on anything, making even the stories she told of Pitch Black fascinating. 

"Back before Pitch Black's rise to power upon this earth, before the Man in the Moon began searching for others of a like mind, like him. When the world was still young and humans had just begun to explore and grow and learn. Before we were there to bring hope and wonder and to protect their dreams and memories, there were others that the humans told stories about, beings that the humans believed in even more reverently than they do us Guardians today." 

"Who?"

"Humans know them by many different names but I think the term that's stuck the longest is pagan. They were the gods of old the first myths and legends that humans ever told and believed in." 

Sandy, who Aster had forgotten was still floating nearby, waved his arms around excitedly. Pictures of different kinds of junk food formed above his head. Aster zeroed in on what looked like a carrot cake. "Yes Sandy I couldn't agree more. This isn't a story to tell on an empty stomach."

The little dreamer smiled and waved before zooming off. Aster could only guess that Sandy was off to raid North's kitchens. 

"We'll wait till Sandy get's back with the grub then, shall we?" He laughed.

Jack nodded."But while we wait, could you elaborate more on the attempted kidnapping of a princess?"

Aster grinned, "Sure thing mate. It all started when I had first become a Guardian and wanted to celebrate by finding a brand new color for spring!"


	4. Chapter 4

"But how did he get elves to stay still long enough to paint them?" 

Aster snickered; it was not that hard to get an elf to hold still. You just had to bribe them with enough cookies and know an immobilizing spell or two. Really, the magic was what did the trick. Nevertheless, you did need the cookies to lure the elves into a false sense of security. It's a trick that Aster even uses on Tooth's fairies .Because even the little Sheila's like the occasional sweet every now and again, they never rat him out. Of course the first time Tooth discovered a tie-dyed fairy, she'd known whose fault it was, and had gotten him back good, replacing his secret stash of sweets with dental floss and toothpastes. 

Mark his words the woman had a cruel streak a mile long. 

From his favorite place in North's grand workshop, perched in the rafters overlooking the main toy floor and North's globe of the world, Aster watched as the two Guardians scratched their heads at the marching multicolored elves. Tooth did a quick flip in midair, taking in each of her own fairies, seeming relieved that they were all still their natural colors. 

"If only he put half as much effort into his work," Tooth sighed and then giggled when a Union Jack sporting elf sauntered pass. "His eggs would be works of art that the children would collect and keep."

Aster's nose twitched and his ears flattened against his skull. He was not about to get the 'buckle down' speech. Not when Tooth didn't even know he was in the room to hear her. That was not fair, if he moved now he'd be caught. However, if he stuck around he would have to hear the same lecture he'd been getting since he'd inherited his holiday.

"Bunny has been doing quite well the past few decades, really putting effort into the holiday; you can see in children's eyes the hope he inspires in them." 

Aster, torn between yelling at North to stop calling him that blasted nickname, and hugging the man for the boost of confidence, just watched as the two continued inspecting elves. Commenting on a particular design here and there, that caught their fancy.

"I will tell Bunny that he needs more eggs colored like this elf!"

"It's not a flattering shade of pink. But maybe if he added a splash of purple or green?"

The two Guardians chattered on for a while longer. Before North decided it was time for the elves to get washed up. Tooth had her fairies help round up the little monsters and together the two herded the assorted colored elves off to the baths. The yetis would handle the elves from there and North and Tooth would head out after that. Tooth had said earlier that she was touring Asia this week. That would give him more than enough time.

Chuckling Aster dropped to the floor below, after checking to make sure the coast was clear. Now that the room had cleared out for the night, it was the perfect chance to enact his plan. It was a simple plan, one born of boredom and desperation. If he had to stay cooped up in North's workshop for one more day. He would most likely go crazier than the elves he'd just used as living canvases. 

"North and Tooth, bugger the both of them, over protective galahs is what they are." Aster muttered to himself. Keeping low to the ground, he scurried towards the big wooden doors that let into North's office. "Not like I haven't been taking care of myself for years, no, not at all."

The doors were locked, but he'd been expecting that. Patting down his vest, because he forgot which pocket he'd stuffed it in, Aster pulled out a small gold key. He had pocketed it earlier when a yeti other than Phil had been in charge of them. Luckily, so far, no one had noticed the spare key was missing. He would just leave it in North's office when he was done and no one would be the wiser.

"Hey, Aster, what yah doing?"

The lock clicked and the door swung inward, Aster debated making a run for it, but thought better of it. The resulting noise of a slamming door would bring the yetis running and maybe the elves. That would be counterproductive to sneaking.

"Nothing," the Pooka snapped, turning to glare at the winter spirit that had surprised him. "Shouldn't you be out with Sandy? It's still early for him, there are some kids that haven't even gone to bed yet, Sandy will be out for a while longer."

Jack, leaning against his staff, stared down at Aster who was still kneeling on the floor in front of the open door. He nodded, "Yes, but Sandy sat up this galleon of dream sand, that is now sailing around the world even as we speak."

"And where is Sandy then?" Asked Aster. 

"North made his 'special' eggnog. I would assume that Sandy hightailed it to the kitchens when we got back." Jack shrugged in a 'what can you do?' gesture. Aster could sympathise with the older spirit. Sandy did enjoy his 'beverages' just a little too much sometimes. 

Still, this did put a snag in his plan. Ideally, North would be with Tooth as she did her fieldwork. After last year, when she had lost all but one of her fairies, and had to retrieve the lost teeth of children on her own again, Tooth had decided that it was time to get back to the basics. That meant getting out there with her fairies and not only just directing them but also working alongside them. 

They would be gone for most of the night, at least until early morning. That left Sandy, with Jack accompanying him, out for the better part of the late evening. Sandy's schedule was harder to wrap his head around though. People did not all go to sleep at a set time, some didn't nod off until late morning, and others slept during the day. While most children did have a set early bed time. That wasn't really always the case. 

Aster had banked on at least a three or four hour window of opportunity. Thanks to North's neurosis, the Guardians were moving in pairs, the ones that were aloud outside anyway. That meant when Sandy or Tooth went to do their nightly business, they didn't only work one night a year as Tooth was fond to say, either Jack or North would accompany them. 

No one had asked Aster if he would like a chance to stretch his legs, or even go check on the Warren. It had been a week since Aster had found himself laid up in North's infirmary. Seven days since Easter, which thankfully had gone off splendidly, minus his passing out and missing the actual day. Yet he was still cooped in North's workshop. 

Jack cleared his throat, one dark eyebrow raised inquisitively. Aster frowned because North would give him the same look when he'd caught the Pooka in a lie or trick. 

"I was just getting something for North, ah his lists. Yup that's right. I was just getting the naughty or nice lists." Aster beamed both proud of his quick thinking and his poker face. He'd been working on it since he and Sandy had begun their little game night. It was hard to pull the wool over the Sandman's eyes. Nevertheless, he was giving it his darndest.

"I guess North wants to make an early go at it this year then, it being only May and all."

Aster could detect the faint hint of disbelief in Jack's voice. It rankled him something fierce. What did Jack know; the Christmas just gone past was his first Christmas with them. It wasn't like he knew how North liked to do things, and yes, checking the naughty or nice lists early on in the year was one of those things he liked to do. He did it twice after all, late-spring-early summer and then sometime in early December. 

"What do you know mate?" Aster growled as he climbed back to his hind paws. He shot Jack an angry glare. "Rack off already Frost. I'm sure there something around here for you get into that doesn't involve bothering me."

The other eyebrow had gone to meet its twin. Leaving Jack with a wide-eyed surprised look that Aster wanted to wipe off his face. Preferably with his fists, but he wasn't above knocking Jack up the side of his head with a boomerang either. 

Varity was the spice of life after all. 

Aster stormed into North's office. He was caught already, so why be quiet about it? Jack followed him, closing the door gently behind them; Aster growled but didn't look back. He'd be good and well buggered before he gave up now. 

"Aster, what are you doing sneaking into North's office?" 

Aster said nothing, making his way across the office to the back wall. There nestled between big windows that ran almost from ceiling to floor, and a few bookshelves that did run from floor to ceiling, stood a small armoire. It was cherry colored with gold handles and an intricate design, which surprisingly had nothing to do with Christmas. It being an old birthday gift from Aster, the wood of the doors were carved to look like vines and leaves, no Christmas trees in sight. 

However, the sentimental value of the piece was not what was important. Right now Aster cared more for what was inside the big cabinet. 

"Aster, we really shouldn't be in here at this hour without North."

"Oh hush," Aster snapped. Opening the cabinet slowly, it was North's yes, but Aster had made this beauty from one of the trees in his Warren. Even under all the protection and warding that North had learned in his many years. She would still open just for him if he asked nicely. "No one asked you anyway."

Inside were rows upon rows of snow globes. North fashioned a good hundred globes a month and had them stockpiled all over the workshop and in the Yeti village down in the valley just below North's home. It was for quick and easy access should he ever run out of them. Though part of North's magic included the ability to draw forth what he needed, when he needed it. As far as Aster could remember, North was never in short supply of the little bobbles. Save for during Pitches attack the past year. 

Lucky for them North kept a few snow globes in the 'glove compartment' of his sleigh. Oddly though he didn't keep any gloves in there, just an extra bottle of special eggnog.

"Those, that's," Jack was standing behind him, leaning over him, and peering into the armoire. The winter spirit was a good head or two taller than Aster. Still shorter than North but then pretty much everyone was smaller than North. "Those are North's snow globes. What are you doing with North's snow globes?" 

"Borrowing one," was his answer. Aster reached in, nicked a globe, and closed the doors re-engaging the locks and what not. "Just need one to get out of here. I can tunnel back close enough to the shop when I need to."

"Why not just tunnel out?"

"You weren't paying attention during the strategy meeting were you?" 

"You started talking about your respected bases of operation." Jack shrugged, taking a step or two back as he spoke. "I'm nomadic; don't really have a place to call my own."

"I thought the pond in Burgess was your home." Aster frowned at the spirit. "You telling me you have a summer home somewhere else Frostbite?"

"I'm drawn to that lake, yeah, but I'm not tied to it or anything. The town, I think there's something in the town, something close to the lake, that I'm drawn too." 

"Suppose that makes sense." Aster shook the globe watching as the little North Pole disappeared in a flurry of magical snow. "The Warren," he whispered before flinging the bobble at the nearest wall. An explosion of color solidified into a hole in the wall that let out into a lush paradise. 

The plan was simple; he would make a quick run through his Warren and check on things. Pop down into his burrow and grab a book that he had been reading. Then be back at the Pole while Tooth and North were still flying around collecting teeth. 

It would help ease the boredom if he had something of his to help pass the time. Furthermore, it would put his mind at ease if he could see his Warren was the way he'd left it. After Pitch's last attack on Easter, he had doubled the security. The Warren was hardly an impenetrable fortress. However, he would like to think his skill with wards was on par with North's by now, if not, at least Tooth's. 

Although the image a portal provided wasn't a proper representation of what was happening in real time at the destination. It warmed Aster's heart to see the bright vivid colors of his home, he'd been worried that the lack of belief he had suffered the previous year was somehow responsible for his fainting spell, and that when he finally got a chance to check on his gardens, they would be weathered and dead. Even though North and Tooth had told him he was being silly, he couldn't really shake the thought till now.

"So, we're going to the Warren?"

"Who said you were coming along, mate?"

Jack shrugged; Aster saw it out of the corner of his eyes, not able to take them off the picture of his warren just yet. "Why wouldn't I? You heard North, no Guardian is to venture forth on their own, insert Russian curse word here and there, you get the point."

"He wasn't swearing," Aster turned a frown upon the frost spirit. "Maybe in his own special way, yeah, but North broke that habit long ago. Partly because the children of Santof clausin where so enamored with him and would copy pretty much everything he did and partly because Katherine made him."

"Hey, didn't mean anything by it." Jack said. Aster glared and the winter spirit pouted. 

Rolling his eyes, Aster grumbled. "You'd rat me out to the others if I left you here."

"Never, though something might slip. It would be best to keep me where you can keep an eye on me and an ear." 

Aster could feel a twitch developing in his right eye. Up until now, he thought only the groundhog could have that effect on him. Nope, Jack Frost seemed to possess the same innate ability to get under his skin with just a few words. 

And derail that train of thought before it goes anywhere else, Aster thought. Because if he started comparing the two like that, he'd start comparing them in other ways, and he didn't need to be thinking about Jack Frost in that sort of light.

Not wanting to lose his nerve, Aster took a running leap into the portal; he could hear Jack cursing behind him. 

This time there was no pain, only the comforting hug of North's magic as Aster traveled from one place to another. All too soon, they found themselves deposited, none too gently, on a soft green grassy hill in the Warren.

From his place sprawled out on the ground, under Aster who had landed on top of him, Jack groaned out. "Next time we just fly."

"Not on your nelly," Aster pushed himself up, making sure to dig a knee into Jack's stomach as he went. The resulting grunt of pain went a long way in making the Pooka feel better. He did offer the winter spirit a paw up though. 

"So we're here, now what?"

"Now you stay here while I pop into my burrow and then check out the rest of the Warren." 

"But Aster-"

"No buts Frost Bite," Aster had already turned away from the spirit and was making his way down the hill towards his home. He called over his shoulder, "Don't touch anything!" before coming across the opening to his burrow. The wonderful thing about North's snow globes was that they opened very close to the entrances of the other Guardian's homes. Otherwise, he could have ended up clear on the other side of the Warren and would have ended up having to hoof it home.

Not that he couldn't do that, and quickly to boot, but loath to admit it as he was. Aster still wasn't in top form and a run of that distance would surely do him in. 

The Warren was his garden. His home, his burrow, was below it. Built into the side of the Warren's cavern walls and leading even deeper into the Earth. Aster's parents had constructed the place as a safe haven for other Pooka survivors to seek out. Originally, the separate burrows had been intended to house the many Pooka that his parents were sure would soon follow them. 

The Pooka never came, but something else did.

"Ah-" The dust that had gathered in his private living space, in the short time he'd been away, tickled his sensitive nose. His burrow smelled of must, was in a serious need of an airing out, and the smell of something rotten permeated the place. Aster frowned and sniffed again, whatever it was, the smell was coming from further in the tunnels. 

"Now what?" He griped moving towards the back of the burrow. There, in the kitchen area stood a doorway that let out into the tunnel system that connected all the other burrows. 

He'd converted most of them over the years from living spaces, giving them much more practical uses. Three or four now housed sapling plants until they were big enough to transplant into the Warren. Four or five housed his gardening equipment. Three were for paints alone while another six housed an assortment of art supplies. 

Aster mentally checked off other rooms as he moved along. His globe room, library, stores of sentinel eggs- none of these spaces would contain anything that could have gone bad in the week he was away. He was meticulous in keeping his home clean; one batch of Easter eggs going bad had been enough for him. Food hardly ever made it past the kitchen or dining areas, but sometimes he would sneak a snack into the library, if he was working late.

"I don't think any of the egglets got in while I was away," Aster said turning around the bend in the tunnel that led pass his own globe room. 

His blood ran cold.

"Aster! Seriously cottontail, wait up!" From behind him, Aster could hear Jack calling. The stupid spirit hadn't paid any attention to his warnings and it looked like Jack's lack of restraint was going to get them into trouble again. 

The thing, dark skinned, no, dark scaled; those were scales glistening along its back, twisted its head around on a long neck and glared at them. Beady eyes glinted in the light of the globe that hung suspended in the middle of the room. 

"Aster," it slithered forward, the snake, The Snake as many had come to call him, rose up high enough for its head to brush against the cavern's ceiling. 

Aster drew one of his boomerangs; if it came down to it, he was sure he could outrun the beast. These were his tunnels and he knew them like the back of his paw. That and his speed would have insured his escape. But Jack wasn't as quick as Aster was and the Pooka knew that down here below ground, Jack was as good as grounded anyway.

"It said your name," Jack said sliding up alongside him. Aster spared him a quick glance; the newest Guardian was brandishing his staff at the snake. The temperature had dropped dangerously low around them; again, Aster was thankful for his built in fur coat. Even if he'd already shed his winters coat a month ago, it still provided him with some protection. "It can talk, and it knows your name."

"Perceptive Frostbite," Aster said. "Want to point out anything else blatantly obvious?"

"It's a giant snake that's as black as the night itself." Jack struck his staff against the ground letting loose a discharge of cold wind. The snake jerked back and hissed, baring its fangs at them. "And its fangs are longer then my arm." Jack flexed and frowned, "wider too."

"The Snake," Aster corrected and at the blank look Jack was giving him, elaborated a little. "He's a constellation, one of the ones that sided with Pitch during the war. When he came to Earth, he paved the way for the other constellations and Pitch, introducing fear to the humans who at the time had no knowledge of such things."

"It works for Pitch?"

"No, the constellations that sided with Pitch during the war, they abandoned him to his fate." Aster made sure to keep his eyes trained on the snake before him. He did pause to wonder why the creature hadn't attacked yet. However, looking a gift horse in the mouth was not Aster's way. "According to Sandy, when Pitch was beaten, the constellations that followed him went their separate ways for a time."

The snake giggled. It was a disorienting thing to hear a snake giggle. It was also still surprising to note that unlike the portrayals of today's media. The creature didn't suffer a speech impediment where it hissed out the letter s in an exaggerated fashion. Of course, Aster knew this already. Still it had been quite a while since The Snake had reared its ugly head. Aster had become more accustom to the human's depiction of the creature. 

"Pitch was a fool," Aster shivered, its voice was like smooth melted chocolate, no wonder the creature before him could trick and charm so many, so easily. It grinned, showing off its fangs again. "We of course have nothing to do with him anymore."

"Then what are you up to now?" Aster demanded.

"Merely taking back what is rightfully ours. What you and yours stole from us, Guardian." The Snake did hiss out the word Guardian. Like it tasted bad on its snaky lips, it spat and hissed, its eyes darted between Aster and, was it the globe he was looking at? Aster couldn't quite tell. 

It turned its head and shouted, "Finish what you were doing."

Aster hadn't noticed them before, the Nightmare men, but he did now. Dark, tall and, slender figured. The Nightmare men, not to be confused with fearlings, danced around the cavern. Twisting in ways that looked painful to Aster, he shuddered when one bent over backwards to grab an ax. It righted itself with little effort and begun to swing away at the globe. Unlike North's, which hung high above his globe room, Asters rested on a stand, which the Nightmare men were hacking away at.

"What are you doing?" Aster yelled at the snake. Forgetting, for a moment, just who he was talking to. Not that he cared, but there was still Jack to worry about, Jack Frost wouldn't stand a snowball's chance against the serpent. Older than the other Guardians, as he liked to point out often enough, he may have been. But his advanced age wouldn't give him a leg up on this creature who was possibly older than Sandy, Pitch or, Manny himself. 

Its head swung back around, forked tongue flicking in and out of its mouth lightening fast. Aster shrank back bringing up one of his large boomerangs to act as a shield. For all the good it would have done him. The snake coiled up like a spring and Aster braced himself, digging into the dirt he stood on. Calling forth all the magic he could muster, to augment his own strength.

Then he and the snake were moving. The snake shot forward just as something wrapped around his middle and yanked him backwards.

"North!" Aster heard Jack yell. Then there was blinding colorful light and that warm feeling of a hug that everything would be alright.

Then black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for the cliff hanger ending, especially after such a long break between updating. Good news is things are going pretty good right now so it's easier to find the time (and mindset) to write again. So updates, and don't quote me on this now, but updates should be coming more quicker now.


End file.
